Stockholm Syndrome
by Komodia
Summary: He was my friend. My best friend. Of course, it didn't start out that way...


Stockholm Syndrome

I've always found it ironic that Tamaki is so fond of traditional plays. Out of all of us, he is perhaps the only one without a mask.

It frustrated me at first. He was so unburdened, despite his state in life. So relentlessly happy. So free. No one could be that shallow. We all act out of self-motivation; surely there was some hidden motive behind this golden king's grin. To manipulate him as I needed to do, I had to find his secret drive.

I knew it would take time. Research turned up interesting facts, but rather than illuminate any ulterior motive, it only heightened the complexity of the puzzle that was Suou Tamaki. He was in a precarious position as an illegitimate heir. One word from the head of the house and he was back to being no one. But rather than tense up and fight for his iffy birthright, Suou seemed to dance through life with no concerns but for kotatsu and culture. His whims carried him this way and that, and he hardly finished one thought before rushing off to another. Yet, I knew I was confident, calculating, and most of all, patient. I would work out this boy's thoughts. I always did.

And then, the "culture tours." Oh, those detestable trips. That fool didn't know east from west and pouted constantly when realizing something wasn't as expected. Patient or not, this was almost too much for me. The only thing stopping me from tearing out every blonde hair on that empty head was my struggle for my own future. The Suou family would be a powerful ally in my fight for the Otouri Company. For the sake of the company, I had to put up with—entertain, even—Suou Tamaki, the brainless git.

Until the brainless git had the nerve to come second in class grades. He almost challenged me. Me! How could such a stupid fool be so smart? There had to be more here. Suou couldn't be the airhead he acted. It was impossible! Yet, all my data and all my analysis couldn't crack his puzzle. Who would have thought the great Kyouya would be so stumped by one such as Tamaki? I felt the pressure from my father, my brothers, and even Suou himself—taunting me, mocking me, daring me to fail.

I would not lose to Suou Tamaki. Too much was at stake.

It was after a particularly bad night that he visited. I had received word of yet more astounding accomplishments from the elder Otouri brothers, while my long nights of memorizing travel guides led to nothing but headaches and lack of sleep. I hated Tamaki with more passion than I'd ever felt before, and all the logic in the world couldn't stop me from attaching myself to the idiot that caused me all this trouble to begin with. I wouldn't admit it to anyone, least of all myself, but part of my hatred stemmed not from frustration, but envy. He lived so happily, so freely, despite the pressure and expectations. I wanted his life. I didn't have it because of failure on my part: failure to impress my father, failure to be extraordinary, failure to surpass everyone in everything, and, perhaps closest to home, failure to unravel Suou Tamaki. When that last failure slapped me in the face by walking through my door and asking for a kotatsu, it all came crashing down.

"You're such a fool, Suou!" Kyouya, you're so incompetent.

"Tamaki, you don't know anything!" Kyouya, you're a failure and a disgrace.

"You act so carelessly!" Kyouya, you're worthless.

"How can you be so easygoing?" And why, why, why can't I…?

I realized it when he smiled at me. His big secret. When he told me my dreams were what mattered, not my father's. My life was my own. I set the rules, and I set the expectations. That's when I knew—there was no puzzle. Nothing to be solved. No mask—just a friendly smile. Tamaki behaved how he wanted because that was how he wanted to behave. In the end, he was free because all he wanted was happiness for himself and the world around him, and that was a goal that depended on no position, only him.

We still took trips after that. For the company, I told myself. But it was a feeble lie, and I knew it. I went with Tamaki because I wanted to. No expectations, no masks. Just friends.

When Honey asked me if I was okay with Tamaki and Haruhi being together, I was flabbergasted. I told him I'd never had any interest in Haruhi, which was only partially true. She mattered because she mattered to Tamaki, and Tamaki mattered to me. I was more than okay with it. I was glad. After all, when someone is precious to you, you do everything you can to support them in their happiness.

In the end, that's the only goal that matters.


End file.
